⚠️This fact has been debunked
This fact conflates two separate concepts incorrectly: (1) The 'Romeo and Juliet effect' (a real psychological phenomenon about parental interference strengthening relationships) does not involve PEA. (2) The idea that PEA is a 'love molecule' was debunked in a 2024 study showing no scientific evidence linking PEA to romantic feelings. The claim appears to be fabricated pseudoscience.
Studies show that the risk of a “secret love” being revealed heightens romantic feelings for the partners, thanks to increased levels of phenylethylamine (PEA).
The Secret Love Myth: Why Science Debunked PEA
You've probably heard that secret romances feel more intense because of a chemical called phenylethylamine (PEA) flooding your brain. It sounds scientific, romantic even. There's just one problem: it's completely false.
A 2024 study definitively debunked the idea that PEA is a "love molecule." Researchers found zero scientific evidence linking phenylethylamine to romantic feelings. No studies in medical literature. No physiological proof. The whole concept? A factoid born in the 1980s that spread like wildfire through pop psychology books and the internet.
Where This Myth Came From
Psychiatrist Michael Liebowitz started it all in his 1983 book The Chemistry of Love. He speculated—without data—that depression after breakups might be caused by PEA deficiency. It was a guess, not science. But it sounded good, so people kept citing it. Eventually, chocolate companies loved the idea (PEA is in chocolate), and the myth became "common knowledge."
Here's the kicker: when scientists actually looked at PEA levels in humans, they found it's linked to aggression, not euphoria. Research connects it to conditions like schizophrenia and ADHD, not swooning lovers.
What About the "Secret Love" Part?
There is a real psychological phenomenon about forbidden love—it's called the Romeo and Juliet effect. Studies from the 1970s showed that parental interference can temporarily intensify romantic feelings. When someone tells you "you can't date them," psychological reactance kicks in and you want them even more.
But this effect has nothing to do with PEA. It's about psychology, not brain chemistry. And importantly, it fades fast. Research shows these intensified feelings appear in small windows and don't last. Family approval actually matters more for long-term relationship success.
The Bottom Line
No study has ever shown that secret relationships increase PEA levels. The "love molecule" concept is marketing nonsense that became accepted truth through repetition. Real romantic attachment involves complex neurochemistry—dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin—but PEA's role remains unproven.
So if your secret romance feels electric, that's psychology at work, not a molecule with an unpronounceable name.